Techniques for controlling a radio processor in a mobile computing device

ABSTRACT

Techniques for controlling a radio processor for a mobile computing device are described. An apparatus may comprise a mobile computing device to support cellular voice communication, wireless data communication and computing capabilities, the mobile computing device including an applications processor coupled to a radio processor. The applications processor may include a radio management module to manage operations for the radio processor, the radio management module having a radio control module arranged to enable and disable the radio processor in accordance with a radio control schedule. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

BACKGROUND

A mobile computing device such as a combination handheld computer andmobile telephone or smart phone generally may provide voice and datacommunications functionality, as well as computing and processingcapabilities. For example, a mobile computing device may supportcellular communication over cellular network such as a Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) network as well as Evolution Data Optimized(EVDO) data communication over a wireless radio channel. A designconsideration for mobile computing devices having such robustfunctionality, however, is managing power consumption by the device.Demands for longer battery life and smaller form factors derived fromsmaller battery sizes are important considerations for mobile computingdevices. Consequently, there exists a substantial need for techniques toimprove power consumption for mobile computing devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a first mobile computing device.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a graphics user interface view.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a logic flow.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a second mobile computing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments may be generally directed to a mobile computingdevice arranged to support various computing and communicationscapabilities. Some embodiments may be particularly directed to a mobilecomputing device having a dual-processor computing architecture toprovide the computing and communications capabilities. In oneembodiment, for example, a mobile computing device may implement anapplications processor and a radio processor. The applications processormay provide computing capabilities for the mobile computing device, suchas executing application programs and system programs for the mobilecomputing device. The radio processor may provide communicationscapabilities for the mobile computing device, such as supportingcellular voice communication and wireless data communication.

The use of a dual-processor computing architecture for a mobilecomputing device provides several advantages, including increasing thespeed and functionality offered by a mobile computing device. Forexample, an operator may execute various applications to process ormanage data while simultaneously engaging in voice or datacommunications, without a substantially degradation in performance orincreased load on either processor. One disadvantage of a dual-processorcomputing architecture, however, is the increase in the rate of powerconsumption from the portable power supply, such as a battery. Thiseffectively decreases an amount of time an operator may use a mobilecomputing device away from a tethered or wired power supply, oralternatively, causes an increase in the size of the portable powersupply to provide the desired time of mobile operation.

To solve these and other problems, the various embodiments may comprisea mobile computing device with a dual-processor computing architecture,with an applications processor to include or implement a radiomanagement module to control operations for a radio processor. The radiomanagement module may include a radio control module arranged to enableand disable the radio processor in accordance with a radio controlschedule. The radio control schedule may include various radio controlpreferences as defined by an operator or from default settings. Forexample, an operator may define a recurring event in the radio controlschedule to disable the radio processor every night at 11:00 PM, andenable the radio processor every morning at 8:00 AM. The radio controlmodule may be coupled to a radio timer, and sends a disable radio timecommand to the applications processor at 11:00 PM. The applicationsprocessor in turn sends a disable radio time signal to the radioprocessor to disable the radio processor. Similarly, the radio controlmodule may send an enable radio time command to the applicationsprocessor at 8:00 AM, and the applications processor sends an enableradio time signal to the radio processor to enable the radio processor.Consequently, the radio control module may automatically enable anddisable the radio processor at certain dates and/or times as defined inthe radio control schedule and as programmed by an operator or user.Accordingly, the amount of power consumed by the radio processor for agiven time period may be reduced, thereby allowing longer battery lifeor a smaller form factor for a given battery.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a mobile computing device 100. Themobile computing device 100 may be configured to support or providecellular voice communication, wireless data communication and computingcapabilities. The mobile computing device 100 may be implemented as acombination handheld computer and mobile telephone, sometimes referredto as a smart phone. Examples of smart phones include, for example,Palm® products such as Palm® Treo™ smart phones. Although someembodiments may be described with the mobile computing device 100implemented as a smart phone by way of example, it may be appreciatedthat the embodiments are not limited in this context. For example, themobile computing device 100 may comprise, or be implemented as, any typeof wireless device, mobile station, or portable computing device with aself-contained power source (e.g., battery) such as a laptop computer,ultra-laptop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), cellulartelephone, combination cellular telephone/PDA, mobile unit, subscriberstation, user terminal, portable computer, handheld computer, palmtopcomputer, wearable computer, media player, pager, messaging device, datacommunication device, and so forth.

In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the mobile computingdevice 100 may include an applications processor 110 and a radioprocessor 130, with the processors 110, 130 connected or coupled by asignal line 120. The mobile computing device 100 may further include amemory unit 140. The memory unit 140 may store or implement a radiomanagement module 150. The radio management module 150 may include aradio schedule application 152, a radio timer 154, a radio controlmodule 156, and one or more radio control schedules 158-1-p. The mobilecomputing device 100 may also include a location system or component,such as a global positioning system (GPS) 160. The applicationsprocessor 110, the radio processor 130, the memory 140 and the GPS 160may all be coupled to a portable or self-contained power supply, such asa battery 170. It may be appreciated that the illustrated embodiment ofthe mobile computing device 100 as shown in FIG. 1 includes a limitednumber of elements for purposes of clarity and not limitation. A moredetailed block diagram for the mobile computing device 100 may bedescribed with reference to FIG. 4.

The mobile computing device 100 may comprise or implement a radiomanagement module 150. The radio management module 150 may comprise, forexample, hardware and/or software such as radio management control logic(e.g., instructions, data, and/or code) to be executed by a logic device(e.g., host or applications processor 110). The logic may be storedinternally or externally to the logic device on one or more types ofcomputer-readable storage media. In one or more embodiments, the radiomanagement module 150 may be implemented as one or more radio managementapplication programming interface (API) commands on the applicationsprocessor 110. In some cases, however, the radio management module 150may be implemented or directly coupled to the radio processor 130. Thismay be advantageous, for example, when the mobile computing device 100utilizes only a single processor. In this case, the remote managementmodule 150 may be implemented on a different power plane than theprocessor, to allow the remote management module 150 to enable anddisable the single processor. The embodiments are not limited in thiscontext.

When enabled, the radio management module 150 may be arranged toautomatically and/or selectively manage some or all of the radiooperations for the radio processor 130. For example, the radio scheduleapplication 152 may be used to receive operator instructions to defineor program a set of radio control preferences for a radio controlschedule 158. The radio schedule application 152 may set or program theradio timer 154 using the radio control preferences defined for theradio control schedule 158. The radio control module 156 may receivetiming information or a notification signal from the radio timer 154,and radio control preference information from the radio control schedule158, and automatically enable and disable the radio processor 130 inaccordance with the timing information and radio control preferenceinformation.

It can be appreciated that the automatic or selective management of theradio processor 130 may provide several advantageous over conventionaltechniques. For example, the radio management module 150 may reduce oreliminate the need for an operator of the mobile computing device 100 tomanually enable and disable the radio processor 130. This may bedesirable since an operator may forget, or find it inconvenient, tomanually power down the radio processor 130 of the mobile computingdevice 100. In another example, the radio management module 150 mayreduce power consumption from the battery 170 during those time periodswhen the radio processor 130 is disabled. This may extend an amount oftime the battery 170 may provide power to the mobile computing device100 when disconnected from a tethered power source, such as anAlternating Current (AC) power line. In addition to, or alternatively,this may allow a smaller form factor for the battery 170, therebyallowing a smaller form factor or different geometries for the mobilecomputing device 100.

In various embodiments, the radio management module 150 may include aradio schedule application 152. In one embodiment, for example, theradio scheduling application 152 may be arranged to receive operatorinstructions to define a set of radio control preferences for a radiocontrol schedule 158-1-p, and generate the radio control schedule158-1-p in accordance with the operator instructions. The radio scheduleapplication 152 may include various graphic user interface (GUI) viewsthat allow an operator or user of the mobile computing device 100 toconfigure radio schedule preferences for automatically controlling theradio processor 130. The radio schedule preferences may also includevarious default settings. The radio control schedules 158-1-p may alsoinclude various preprogrammed radio control schedules included by themanufacturer of the mobile computing device 100 or third party vendors.The radio schedule application 152 may store the defined or selectedradio schedule preferences in a radio control schedule 158-1-p.

In various embodiments, the radio management module 150 may include oneor more radio timers 154. The radio timer 154 may comprise hardware orsoftware based timers arranged to provide timing information to theradio control module 156. For example, the radio timer 154 may be set orprogrammed with various radio control time values corresponding tovarious radio control time parameters stored with the radio controlschedule 158. For example, the radio schedule application 152 mayretrieve a schedule start parameter from the radio control schedule 158,and program the radio timer 154 with the schedule start parameter tobegin timing operations for disabling the radio processor 130. Inanother example, the radio schedule application 152 may retrieve aschedule end parameter from the radio control schedule 158, and programthe radio timer 154 with the schedule end parameter to begin timingoperations for enabling the radio processor 130. The radio timer 154 maynotify the radio control module 156 when a current time matches theschedule start parameter or the schedule end parameter. If radio timer154 is implemented as a count-down timer, then the radio timer 154 maynotify the radio control module 156 when the defined time interval hasexpired.

In various embodiments, the radio management module 150 may include aradio control module 156. The radio control module 156 may be arrangedto send commands to the application processor 110 to enable and disablethe radio processor 130 in accordance with a radio control schedule 158.For example, the radio schedule application 152 may set the radio timer154 for a schedule start time based on a schedule start parameter fromthe radio control schedule 158. The radio timer 154 may send timinginformation to the radio control module 156. For example, the timinginformation may include a notification indicating that the radio timer154 is at the schedule start time. The radio control module 156 mayreceive the notification from the radio timer 154, and send a disableradio control command to the applications processor 110. Theapplications processor 110 may send a disable radio control signal tothe radio processor 130 over the signal line 120 to disable the radioprocessor 130 for the mobile computing device 100. Similarly, the radioschedule application 152 may set the radio timer 154 for a schedule endtime based on a schedule end parameter from the radio control schedule158. The radio timer 154 may send timing information to the radiocontrol module 156. For example, the timing information may include anotification indicating that the radio timer 154 is at the schedule endtime. The radio control module 156 may receive the notification from theradio timer 154, and send an enable radio control command to theapplications processor 110. The applications processor 110 may send anenable radio control signal to the radio processor 130 over the signalline 120 to enable the radio processor 130 for the mobile computingdevice 100.

The radio control module 156 may enable and disable the radio processor130 using the signal line 120. The applications processor 110 and theradio processor 130 may be connected or coupled by the signal line 120.In one embodiment, for example, the signal line 120 may be used toimplement a General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) technique that istypically used in the embedded electronics field. The GPIO peripheralprovides dedicated general-purpose pins that can be configured as eitherinputs or outputs. When configured as an output, an internal registermay be written to in order to control the state driven on the outputpin. When configured as an input, the state of the input may be detectedby reading the state of an internal register. In this case, theapplications processor 110 may write to an internal register to assertor drive different states on an output pin of the applications processor110 to send signals to a corresponding input pin of the radio processor130 via the signal line 120. The radio processor 130 may read aninternal register to detect the current state of the input signalreceived by the input pin of the radio processor 130. The differentstates may enable or disable the radio processor 130. Additional signallines other than the signal line 120 may be used when the radioprocessor 130 has more than two operating modes. Furthermore, othertechniques may be used to allow the applications processor 110 to enableand disable the radio processor 130 as desired for a givenimplementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a GUI view 200. The GUI view 200may be an example of a GUI view generated by the radio scheduleapplication 152 to allow an operator to define a set of radio controlpreferences needed to generate a radio control schedule 158-1-p used toautomatically control the radio processor 130. As shown in FIG. 2, theGUI view 200 may have various radio schedule parameter fields 202-1-m tostore associated radio schedule parameters 204-1-n. The radio scheduleparameter fields 202-1-m and the radio schedule parameters 204-1-n maybe stored in a radio control schedule 158-1-p. It may be appreciatedthat the radio schedule parameter fields 202-1-m and the radio scheduleparameters 204-1-n described with reference to the GUI view 200 are byway of example and not limitation, and that other radio scheduleparameter fields 202-1-m and radio schedule parameters 204-1-n may beimplemented for a given set of design parameters and performanceconstraints for the mobile computing device 100.

In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the GUI view 200 maycomprise a GUI view with various radio schedule parameter fields202-1-m. For example, the radio schedule parameter fields 202-1-m mayinclude a schedule name field 202-1, a schedule event field 202-2, aschedule location field 202-3, a schedule start field 202-4, a scheduleend field 202-5, a schedule occur field 202-6, and a schedule reminderfield 202-7.

An operator may define or select various radio schedule parameters204-1-n for each of the corresponding radio schedule parameter fields202-1-m. For example, the radio schedule parameters 204-1-n may bepresented to the operator as a list of possible candidate radio scheduleparameters 204-1-n for each radio schedule parameter field 202-1-m, andthe operator may select one of the candidate radio schedule parameters204-1-n from the provided list for each radio schedule parameter field202-1-m. Various exemplary candidate radio schedule parameter 204-1-nselections may be shown in the GUI view 200.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule name parameter 204-1 may bedefined or selected for the schedule name field 202-1. The schedule nameparameter 204-1 may allow an operator to define or select a name for theradio control schedule 158. An operator may define separate radiocontrol schedules 158-1-p for different purposes or environments. Forexample, an operator may define one radio control schedule 158-1 for usewhen at home, another radio control schedule 158-2 for use when at work,yet another radio control schedule 158-3 for when traveling, and soforth. The schedule name parameter 204-1 allows an operator to namedifferent radio control schedules 158-1-p, and use the name to identifyand load a particular radio control schedule 158-1-p. For example,assume that an operator defines or selects a set of radio scheduleparameters 204-1-n to include a “Home Schedule” for a schedule nameparameter 204-1 corresponding to the schedule name field 202-1. The“Home Schedule” may comprise a name for a radio control schedule 158-1that an operator desires to use when at their home or residence. Otherradio control schedules may be defined, such as an “Office Schedule,” a“Travel Schedule,” a “Vacation Schedule,” an “Airplane Schedule,” a“Flight Schedule,” and so forth. Each radio control schedule 158-1-p mayhave different radio schedule parameters 204-1-n defined for the radioschedule parameter fields 202-1-m to fit different use scenarios.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule event parameter 204-2 may bedefined or selected for the schedule event field 202-2. The scheduleevent parameter 204-2 may indicate the various types of operating modesfor the radio processor 130 when disabled. The mobile computing device100 in general, and the radio processor 130 in particular, may havevarious operating modes that consume varying amounts of power from thebattery 170. The schedule event parameter 204-2 may indicate aparticular operating mode for the radio processor 130 to be placed inwhen disabled. As used herein, the terms “disable,” “disabled,”“disabling” or similar terms includes placing the radio processor 130 invarious operating modes that reduce power consumed from the battery 170,as well as removing power completely from the radio processor 130.

In one embodiment, for example, the radio processor 130 may be placed inone of three operating modes, including a Level 0 or “Active” operatingmode, a Level 1 or “Idle” operating mode, and a Level 2 or “Sleep”operating mode. The Level 0 or Active operating mode represents anoperating mode where all the features of the radio processor 130 areenabled or activated. The Level 0 or Active operating mode typicallydraws the maximum amount of power from the battery 170 relative to theother operating modes. The Level 2 or Sleep operating mode represents anoperating mode where none of the features of the radio processor 130 areenabled or activated, or stated another way, are disabled ordeactivated. The Level 2 or Sleep operating mode typically draws theminimum amount of power from the battery 170 relative to the otheroperating modes. The Level 1 or Idle operating mode represents anoperating mode having a corresponding power draw that is between Level 0and Level 2. The Level 1 or Idle operating mode is where a sub-set offeatures of the radio processor 130 are enabled or activated. The Level1 or Idle operating mode is typically when the radio processor 130 isplaced into a Level 2 or Sleep operating mode, and the radio processor130 is periodically or intermittently switched to a higher operatingmode (e.g., Level 0 or Active operating mode) to scan a control channelfor call indicators. Although only 3 levels of operating modes andcorresponding power levels are described in this embodiment, it may beappreciated that any number of operating modes and corresponding powerlevels may be implemented for the mobile computing device 100. Theparticular operating modes and corresponding levels of power consumptionimplemented for the mobile computing device 100 may be defined by anynumber of different standards as desired for a given set of designparameters and performance constraints. The principles as described inthe various embodiments may be applicable to any mobile computing devicehaving at least two different operating modes with corresponding powerrequirements that draw two different levels of power. The embodimentsare not limited in this context.

Referring again to the schedule event parameter 204-2, assume anoperator defines or selects a “Low Power Mode” for a schedule eventparameter 204-2 corresponding to the schedule event field 202-2. The“Low Power Mode” is an operating mode defined for use with Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) communication devices, and is similar to theLevel 2 or Sleep operating mode as previously described. Setting a “LowPower Mode” for the schedule event parameter 204-2 indicates that theoperator would like the radio processor to be placed in a Level 2 orSleep operating mode when disabled. When the mobile computing device 100is implemented as a Global System For Mobile Communications (GSM)cellular telephone, then an operator might select a “Deep Sleep Mode”for a schedule event parameter 204-2. The “Deep Sleep Mode” is anoperating mode defined for use with GSM communication devices, and issimilar to the Level 2 or Sleep operating mode as previously described.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule location parameter 204-3 maybe defined or selected for the schedule event field 202-3. The schedulelocation parameter 204-3 may represent a location where the radiocontrol schedule identified by the schedule name parameter 204-1 shouldbe activated, enabled or implemented. For example, the radio managementmodule 150 may be arranged to load and use a certain radio controlschedule 158-1-p based on a current location for the mobile computingdevice 100.

The mobile computing device 100 may include a location system toidentify a location for the mobile computing device 100. The locationsystem may implement any technique to approximate an instantaneouslocation for the mobile computing device 100. An example of a locationsystem may include a GPS device or component, as represented by the GPS160. Other location systems and techniques, however, may be used in lieuof the GPS 160. For example, various mobile positioning techniques maybe used. Mobile positioning is a technique used by telecommunicationcompanies to approximate a location for a mobile phone using theexisting cellular infrastructure equipment, such as the base stations ornode B systems. GSM localization is a form of mobile positioning thatuses multilateration to determine the location of GSM mobile phones.Examples of GSM localization techniques may include Cell Identification,Enhanced Cell Identification, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), Time ofArrival (TOA), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Enhanced Observed Time Difference(E-OTD), Cell Broadcast, Assisted-GPS, and so forth.

In various embodiments, the radio management module 150 may use thelocation information from the GPS 160 to select and load a radio controlschedule 158-1-p based on a current location for the mobile computingdevice 100. The GPS 160 may provide location information to the radiomanagement module 150. The radio schedule application 152 may receivethe location information from the GPS 160, and load a radio controlschedule 158-1-p with a name corresponding to the schedule nameparameter 204-1. The radio schedule application 152 may then program theradio timer 154 with the appropriate time parameters retrieved from theloaded radio control schedule 158.

In the example shown in the GUI view 200, assume an operator selects“Home” for a schedule location parameter 204-3 corresponding to theschedule location field 202-3. As the operator travels, the GPS 160 mayperiodically provide location information to the radio management module150. The radio schedule application 152 may compare the locationinformation received from the GPS 160 with a schedule table. Theschedule table may include a list of schedule location parameters 204-3and corresponding schedule name parameters 204-1. Whenever the currentlocation information received from the GPS 160 matches a schedulelocation parameter 204-3 from the schedule table, then the radioschedule application 152 may load the radio control schedule 158-1-pcorresponding to the matched schedule name parameter 204-1. The radiocontrol module 156 may use the loaded radio control schedule 158-1-puntil the current location information received from the GPS 160indicates a different radio control schedule 158-1-p (e.g., an “OfficeSchedule” radio control schedule 158-2) is to be used by the radiocontrol module 156.

In another example, assume that a set of radio control preferences havebeen defined specifically for use when on an airplane or helicopter.Further assume that an operator names a radio control schedule with suchradio control preferences with a “Flight Schedule,” and selects the“Flight Schedule” as the schedule name parameter 204-1 of the schedulename field 202-1. Whenever the location information from the GPS 160indicates a certain altitude or height, the radio schedule application152 may load a radio control schedule 158-1-p with a name correspondingto the schedule name parameter 204-1 of “Flight Schedule.” The radiocontrol module 156 may utilize the radio control schedule 158-1-p toautomatically control the operations of the radio processor 130. Forexample, the radio control module 156 may immediately disable the radioprocessor 130 while above a certain altitude or height, and enable theradio processor 130 when below a certain altitude or height. In somecases, the mobile computing device 100 may include a map application toprovide map information to identify an altitude for ground level of acurrent location, such as an airport, and provide an absolute differencebetween the ground level and the current altitude to use as a trigger toenable and disable the radio processor 130. The embodiments are notlimited in this context.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule start parameter 204-4 and aschedule end parameter 204-5 may be defined or selected for therespective schedule start field 202-4 and the schedule end field 202-5.The schedule start parameter 204-4 may represent a date and/or time whenthe radio control module 156 is to disable the radio processor 130. Theschedule end parameter 204-5 may represent a date and/or time when theradio control module 156 is to enable the radio processor 130. Forexample, assume an operator defines “Aug. 20, 2007 11:00 PM” for aschedule start parameter 204-4 corresponding to the schedule start field202-4, and “Sep. 20, 2007 08:00 AM” for a schedule end parameter 204-5corresponding to the schedule end field 202-5. In this case, the radiocontrol module 156 may disable the radio processor 130 when the radiotimer 154 indicates a time matching “11:00 PM,” and enable the radioprocessor 130 when the radio timer 154 indicates a time matching “08:00AM.” The dates of “Aug. 20, 2007” and “Sep. 20, 2007” may be used todetermine when the radio control module 156 is to start and stop usingthe radio control schedule 158-1-p, respectively. The schedule startparameter 204-4 and the schedule end parameter 204-5 may reflect anynumber of different time zones, such as Eastern Standard Time (EST) andPacific Standard Time (PST), as well as different time standards ordefinitions, such as International Atomic Time (TAI), CoordinatedUniversal Time (UTC), and so forth.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule occur parameter 204-6 may bedefined or selected for the schedule occur field 202-6. The scheduleoccur parameter 204-6 may represent how often the time schedulesindicated by the schedule start parameter 204-4 and the schedule endparameter 204-5 are to be repeated. For example, assume an operatordefines “Sat-Sun” for a schedule occur parameter 204-6 corresponding tothe schedule occur field 202-6. In this case, the 11:00 PM to 8:00 AMtime schedule may be implemented every Saturday and Sunday occurringbetween the dates of Aug. 20, 2007 and Sep. 20, 2007. Such parametersmay be set to reflect those days when an operator will likely be athome.

In one embodiment, for example, a schedule reminder parameter 204-7 maybe defined or selected for the schedule occur field 202-7. The schedulereminder parameter 204-7 may represent whether to remind an operatorthat a given radio control schedule 158-1-p will be implemented by theradio management module 150, and if so, how long prior to implementingthe radio control schedule 158-1-p. For example, assume an operatordefines “15 minutes” for a schedule reminder parameter 204-7corresponding to the schedule reminder field 202-7. In this case, theradio schedule application 152 will provide a reminder to the operatorthat a radio control schedule 158-1 p corresponding to the name “HomeSchedule” will be implemented starting on Aug. 20, 2007 at 11:00 PM,with the radio schedule application 152 to provide the reminder 15minutes prior to 11:00 PM, namely at 10:45 PM.

In various embodiments, the radio management module 150 may be arrangedto generate a prompt for an operator to manually enable or disable theradio processor based on a location. In some implementations, the usermay be prompted to manually enable and/or disable the radio processor130 when the mobile computing device 100 is in a certain location, suchas boarding an airplane for travel. For example, the locationinformation may be used as inputs to a map application to identifypoints of interest on a map, such as airports or helipads. Whenever, theGPS 160 generates location information that matches coordinates on a mapcorresponding to an airport, the radio management module 150 may eitherload a radio control schedule 158-1-p corresponding to the location(e.g., the “Flight Schedule” radio control schedule), or manually promptthe operator to disable the radio processor 130. Similarly, when the GPS160 generates location information that matches coordinates on a mapindicating that the mobile computing device 100 is leaving the airport,the radio management module 150 may either load a new radio controlschedule 158-1-p, or manually prompt the operator to enable the radioprocessor 130.

FIG. 3 illustrates a logic flow 300 in accordance with one or moreembodiments. The logic flow 300 may be performed by various systemsand/or devices and may be implemented as hardware, software, and/or anycombination thereof, as desired for a given set of design parameters orperformance constraints. For example, the logic flow 200 may beimplemented by a logic device (e.g., processor) and/or logic (e.g.,instructions, data, and/or code) to be executed by a logic device. Forpurposes of illustration, and not limitation, the logic flow 300 isdescribed with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The logic flow 300 may illustrate various operations for the mobilecomputing device 100 in general, and the radio management module 150 inparticular. For example, the logic flow 300 may illustrate operationsfor the radio management module 150 to disable some or all of theoperations for the radio processor 130. As shown in FIG. 3, the logicflow 300 may set a radio timer for a schedule start time based on aschedule start parameter from a radio control schedule at block 302. Thelogic flow 300 may receive notification that the radio timer is at theschedule start time at block 304. The logic flow 300 may send a disableradio control command to disable a radio processor for a mobilecomputing device supporting cellular voice communication and wirelessdata communication to reduce power consumption of a battery at block306. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

In one embodiment, the logic flow 300 may set a radio timer for aschedule start time based on a schedule start parameter from a radiocontrol schedule at block 302. For example, a schedule start parameter204-4 may represent a date and/or time when the radio control module 156is to disable the radio processor 130. The radio schedule application152 may set or program the radio timer 154 with a schedule startparameter 204-4 corresponding to the schedule start field 202-4 from theradio control schedule 158-1-p. An example of a schedule start parameter204-4 may include “Aug. 20, 2007 11:00 PM” as shown in the GUI view ofFIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the logic flow 300 may receive notification that theradio timer is at the schedule start time at block 304. For example, theradio timer 154 may be arranged to compare a current time with theschedule start parameter 204-4, and output a notification signal whenthe current time matches the schedule start parameter 204-4. The radiocontrol module 156 may receive the notification signal from the radiotimer 154 indicating that the schedule start time has been reached.

In one embodiment, the logic flow 300 may send a disable radio controlcommand to disable a radio processor for a mobile computing devicesupporting cellular voice communication and wireless data communicationto reduce power consumption of a battery at block 306. For example, oncethe radio control module 156 receives the notification signal from theradio timer 154, the radio control module 156 may send a disable radiocontrol command to the applications processor 110. The applicationsprocessor 110 may send or assert a disable radio control signal over thesignal line 120 to the radio processor 130. The radio processor 130 maydisable operations in response to the disable radio control signal.

Using operations similar to the operations performed by the blocks 302,304 and 306 of the logic flow 300, the radio management module 150 mayenable some or all of the operations for the radio processor 130. Forexample, the radio schedule application 152 of the radio managementmodule 150 may set the radio timer 154 for a schedule end time based ona schedule end parameter 204-5 from the radio control schedule 158. Theschedule end parameter 204-5 may represent a date and/or time when theradio control module 156 is to enable the radio processor 130. Anexample of a schedule end parameter 204-5 may include “Sep. 20, 20078:00 AM” as shown in the GUI view of FIG. 2. The radio timer 154 mayoutput a notification signal indicating that the radio timer 154 is atthe schedule end time. The radio control module 156 may receive thenotification signal from the radio timer 154, and send an enable radiocontrol command to the applications processor 110. The applicationsprocessor 110 may send or assert an enable radio control signal toenable the radio processor 130 via the signal line 120. The radioprocessor 130 may enable operations in response to the enable radiocontrol signal.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a mobile computing device 400suitable for implementing various embodiments, including the mobilecomputing device 100. It may be appreciated that the mobile computingdevice 400 is only one example of a suitable mobile computingenvironment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to thescope of use or functionality of the embodiments. Neither should themobile computing device 400 be interpreted as having any dependency orrequirement relating to any one or combination of components illustratedin the exemplary mobile computing device 400.

The mobile computing device 400 may provide voice and/or datacommunications functionality in accordance with different types ofcellular radiotelephone systems. Examples of cellular radiotelephonesystems may include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) systems, North American DigitalCellular (NADC) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems,Extended-TDMA (E-TDMA) systems, Narrowband Advanced Mobile Phone Service(NAMPS) systems, 3G systems such as Wide-band CDMA (WCDMA), CDMA-2000,Universal Mobile Telephone System (UMTS) systems, and so forth.

In addition to voice communications functionality, the mobile computingdevice 400 may be arranged to provide mobile packet data communicationsfunctionality in accordance with different types of cellularradiotelephone systems. Examples of cellular radiotelephone systemsoffering mobile packet data communications services may include GSM withGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems (GSM/GPRS), CDMA/1xRTTsystems, Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) systems,Evolution Data Optimized (EVDO) systems, Evolution For Data and Voice(EVDV) systems, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) systems, HighSpeed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), and so forth.

The mobile computing device 400 may be arranged to provide voice and/ordata communications functionality in accordance with different types ofwireless network systems or protocols. Examples of suitable wirelessnetwork systems offering data communication services may include theInstitute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.xx seriesof protocols, such as the IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n series of standardprotocols and variants (also referred to as “WiFi”), the IEEE 802.16series of standard protocols and variants (also referred to as “WiMAX”),the IEEE 802.20 series of standard protocols and variants, and so forth.The mobile computing device 400 may also utilize different types ofshorter range wireless systems, such as a Bluetooth system operating inaccordance with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) series ofprotocols, including Bluetooth Specification versions v1.0, v1.1, v1.2,v1.0, v2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), as well as one or moreBluetooth Profiles, and so forth. Other examples may include systemsusing infrared techniques or near-field communication techniques andprotocols, such as electro-magnetic induction (EMI) techniques. Anexample of EMI techniques may include passive or active radio-frequencyidentification (RFID) protocols and devices.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the mobile computing device 400may comprise a dual processor architecture including a host processor402 and a radio processor 404. In various implementations, the hostprocessor 402 and the radio processor 404 may be arranged to communicatewith each other using interfaces 406 such as one or more universalserial bus (USB) interfaces, micro-USB interfaces, universalasynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) interfaces, general purposeinput/output (GPIO) interfaces, control/status lines, control/datalines, audio lines, and so forth.

The host processor 402 may be responsible for executing various softwareprograms such as system programs and applications programs to providecomputing and processing operations for the mobile computing device 400.The radio processor 404 may be responsible for performing various voiceand data communications operations for the mobile computing device 400such as transmitting and receiving voice and data information over oneor more wireless communications channels. Although the mobile computingdevice 400 is shown with a dual-processor architecture, it may beappreciated that the mobile computing device 400 may use any suitableprocessor architecture and/or any suitable number of processors inaccordance with the described embodiments. In one embodiment, forexample, the processors 402, 404 may be implemented using a singleintegrated processor.

The host processor 402 may be implemented as a host central processingunit (CPU) using any suitable processor or logic device, such as a as ageneral purpose processor. The host processor 402 may also beimplemented as a chip multiprocessor (CMP), dedicated processor,embedded processor, media processor, input/output (I/O) processor,co-processor, microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array(FPGA), programmable logic device (PLD), or other processing device inaccordance with the described embodiments.

As shown, the host processor 402 may be coupled through a memory bus 408to a memory 410. The memory bus 408 may comprise any suitable interfaceand/or bus architecture for allowing the host processor 402 to accessthe memory 410. Although the memory 410 may be shown as being separatefrom the host processor 402 for purposes of illustration, it is worthyto note that in various embodiments some portion or the entire memory410 may be included on the same integrated circuit as the host processor402. Alternatively, some portion or the entire memory 410 may bedisposed on an integrated circuit or other medium (e.g., hard diskdrive) external to the integrated circuit of the host processor 402. Invarious embodiments, the mobile computing device 400 may comprise anexpansion slot to support a multimedia and/or memory card, for example.

The memory 410 may be implemented using any computer-readable mediacapable of storing data such as volatile or non-volatile memory,removable or non-removable memory, erasable or non-erasable memory,writeable or re-writeable memory, and so forth. Examples ofcomputer-readable storage media may include, without limitation,random-access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), Double-Data-Rate DRAM(DDRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), read-only memory(ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM),electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory (e.g., NORor NAND flash memory), content addressable memory (CAM), polymer memory(e.g., ferroelectric polymer memory), phase-change memory, ovonicmemory, ferroelectric memory, silicon-oxide-nitride-oxide-silicon(SONOS) memory, magnetic or optical cards, or any other type of mediasuitable for storing information.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise an alphanumeric keypad 412coupled to the host processor 402. The keypad 412 may comprise, forexample, a QWERTY key layout and an integrated number dial pad. Themobile computing device 400 also may comprise various keys, buttons, andswitches such as, for example, input keys, preset and programmable hotkeys, left and right action buttons, a navigation button such as amultidirectional navigation button, phone/send and power/end buttons,preset and programmable shortcut buttons, a volume rocker switch, aringer on/off switch having a vibrate mode, and so forth. The keypad 412may comprise a physical keypad using hard buttons, or a virtual keypadusing soft buttons displayed on a display 414.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise a display 414 coupled tothe host processor 402. The display 414 may comprise any suitable visualinterface for displaying content to a user of the mobile computingdevice 400. In one embodiment, for example, the display 414 may beimplemented by a liquid crystal display (LCD) such as a touch-sensitivecolor (e.g., 46-bit color) thin-film transistor (TFT) LCD screen. Thetouch-sensitive LCD may be used with a stylus and/or a handwritingrecognizer program.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise a vibrate motor 416 coupledto the host processor 402. The vibrate motor 416 may be enable ordisabled according to the preferences of the user of the mobilecomputing device 400. When enabled, the vibrate motor 416 may cause themobile computing device 400 to move or shake in a generic and/orpatterned fashion in response to a triggering event such as the receiptof a telephone call, text message, an alarm condition, a game condition,and so forth. Vibration may occur for a fixed duration and/orperiodically according to a pulse.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise an input/output (I/O)interface 418 coupled to the host processor 402. The I/O interface 418may comprise one or more I/O devices such as a serial connection port,an infrared port, integrated Bluetooth wireless capability, and/orintegrated 802.11x (WiFi) wireless capability, to enable wired (e.g.,USB cable) and/or wireless connection to a local computer system, suchas a local personal computer (PC). In various implementations, mobilecomputing device 400 may be arranged to synchronize information with alocal computer system.

The host processor 402 may be coupled to various audio/video (A/V)devices 420 that support A/V capability of the mobile computing device400. Examples of A/V devices 420 may include, for example, a microphone,one or more speakers, an audio port to connect an audio headset, anaudio coder/decoder (codec), an audio player, a Musical InstrumentDigital Interface (MIDI) device, a digital camera, a video camera, avideo codec, a video player, and so forth.

The host processor 402 may be coupled to a power supply 422 arranged tosupply and manage power to the elements of the mobile computing device400. In various embodiments, the power supply 422 may be implemented bya rechargeable battery, such as a removable and rechargeable lithium ionbattery to provide direct current (DC) power, and/or an alternatingcurrent (AC) adapter to draw power from a standard AC main power supply.

The radio processor 404 may be arranged to communicate voice informationand/or data information over one or more assigned frequency bands of awireless communication channel. The radio processor 404 may beimplemented as a communications processor using any suitable processoror logic device, such as a modem processor or baseband processor. Theradio processor 404 may also be implemented as a digital signalprocessor (DSP), media access control (MAC) processor, or any other typeof communications processor in accordance with the describedembodiments. The radio processor 404 may perform analog and/or digitalbaseband operations for the mobile computing device 400. For example,the radio processor 404 may perform digital-to-analog conversion (DAC),analog-to-digital conversion (ADC), modulation, demodulation, encoding,decoding, encryption, decryption, and so forth.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise a memory 424 coupled to theradio processor 404. The memory 424 may be implemented using any of thecomputer-readable media described with reference to the memory 410. Thememory 424 may be typically implemented as flash memory and securedigital (SD) RAM. Although the memory 424 may be shown as being separatefrom the radio processor 404, some or all of the memory 424 may beincluded on the same IC as the radio processor 404.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise a transceiver module 426coupled to the radio processor 404. The transceiver module 426 maycomprise one or more transceivers arranged to communicate usingdifferent types of protocols, communication ranges, operating powerrequirements, RF sub-bands, information types (e.g., voice or data), usescenarios, applications, and so forth. In various embodiments, thetransceiver module 426 may comprise one or more transceivers arranged tosupport voice communications and/or data communications for the wirelessnetwork systems or protocols as previously described. In someembodiments, the transceiver module 426 may further comprise a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) transceiver to support position determinationand/or location-based services.

The transceiver module 426 generally may be implemented using one ormore chips as desired for a given implementation. Although thetransceiver module 426 may be shown as being separate from and externalto the radio processor 404 for purposes of illustration, it is worthy tonote that in various embodiments some portion or the entire transceivermodule 426 may be included on the same integrated circuit as the radioprocessor 404. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise an antenna system 428 fortransmitting and/or receiving electrical signals. As shown, the antennasystem 428 may be coupled to the radio processor 404 through thetransceiver module 426. The antenna system 428 may comprise or beimplemented as one or more internal antennas and/or external antennas.

The mobile computing device 400 may comprise a subscriber identitymodule (SIM) 430 coupled to the radio processor 404. The SIM 430 maycomprise, for example, a removable or non-removable smart card arrangedto encrypt voice and data transmissions and to store user-specific datafor allowing a voice or data communications network to identify andauthenticate the user. The SIM 430 also may store data such as personalsettings specific to the user. In some embodiments, the SIM 430 may beimplemented as an UMTS universal SIM (USIM) card or a CDMA removableuser identity module (RUIM) card. The SIM 430 may comprise a SIMapplication toolkit (STK) 432 comprising a set of programmed commandsfor enabling the SIM 430 to perform various functions. In some cases,the STK 432 may be arranged to enable the SIM 430 to independentlycontrol various aspects of the mobile computing device 400.

As mentioned above, the host processor 402 may be arranged to provideprocessing or computing resources to the mobile computing device 400.For example, the host processor 402 may be responsible for executingvarious software programs including system programs such as operatingsystem (OS) 434 and application programs 436. System programs generallymay assist in the running of the mobile computing device 400 and may bedirectly responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing theindividual hardware components of the computer system. The OS 434 may beimplemented, for example, as a Palm OS®, Palm OS® Cobalt, Microsoft®Windows OS, Microsoft Windows® CE OS, Microsoft Pocket PC OS, MicrosoftMobile OS, Symbian OS™, Embedix OS, Linux OS, Binary Run-timeEnvironment for Wireless (BREW) OS, JavaOS, a Wireless ApplicationProtocol (WAP) OS, or other suitable OS in accordance with the describedembodiments. The mobile computing device 400 may comprise other systemprograms such as device drivers, programming tools, utility programs,software libraries, application programming interfaces (APIs), and soforth.

Application programs 436 generally may allow a user to accomplish one ormore specific tasks. In various implementations, the applicationprograms 436 may provide one or more graphical user interfaces (GUIs) tocommunicate information between the mobile computing device 400 and auser. In some embodiments, application programs 436 may comprise upperlayer programs running on top of the OS 434 of the host processor 402that operate in conjunction with the functions and protocols of lowerlayers including, for example, a transport layer such as a TransmissionControl Protocol (TCP) layer, a network layer such as an InternetProtocol (IP) layer, and a link layer such as a Point-to-Point (PPP)layer used to translate and format data for communication.

Examples of application programs 436 may include, without limitation,messaging applications, web browsing applications, personal informationmanagement (PIM) applications (e.g., contacts, calendar, scheduling,tasks), word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, databaseapplications, media applications (e.g., video player, audio player,multimedia player, digital camera, video camera, media management),gaming applications, and so forth. Messaging applications may bearranged to communicate various types of messages in a variety offormats. Examples of messaging applications may include withoutlimitation a cellular telephone application, a Voice over InternetProtocol (VoIP) application, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) application, avoicemail application, a facsimile application, a video teleconferencingapplication, an IM application, an e-mail application, an SMSapplication, an MMS application, and so forth. It is also to beappreciated that the mobile computing device 400 may implement othertypes of applications in accordance with the described embodiments.

The mobile computing device 400 may include various databasesimplemented in the memory 410. For example, the mobile computing device400 may include a message content database 438, a message log database440, a contacts database 442, a media database 444, a preferencesdatabase 446, and so forth. The message content database 438 may bearranged to store content and attachments (e.g., media objects) forvarious types of messages sent and received by one or more messagingapplications. The message log 440 may be arranged to track various typesof messages which are sent and received by one or more messagingapplications. The contacts database 442 may be arranged to store contactrecords for individuals or entities specified by the user of the mobilecomputing device 400. The media database 444 may be arranged to storevarious types of media content such as image information, audioinformation, video information, and/or other data. The preferencesdatabase 446 may be arranged to store various settings such as rules andparameters for controlling the operation of the mobile computing device400.

Numerous specific details have been set forth to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. It will be understood, however, thatthe embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. Inother instances, well-known operations, components and circuits have notbeen described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments. It can beappreciated that the specific structural and functional details arerepresentative and do not necessarily limit the scope of theembodiments.

Various embodiments may comprise one or more elements. An element maycomprise any structure arranged to perform certain operations. Eachelement may be implemented as hardware, software, or any combinationthereof, as desired for a given set of design and/or performanceconstraints. Although an embodiment may be described with a limitednumber of elements in a certain topology by way of example, theembodiment may include more or less elements in alternate topologies asdesired for a given implementation.

It is worthy to note that any reference to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic described in connection with the embodiment is includedin at least one embodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

Although some embodiments may be illustrated and described as comprisingexemplary functional components or modules performing variousoperations, it can be appreciated that such components or modules may beimplemented by one or more hardware components, software components,and/or combination thereof. The functional components and/or modules maybe implemented, for example, by logic (e.g., instructions, data, and/orcode) to be executed by a logic device (e.g., processor). Such logic maybe stored internally or externally to a logic device on one or moretypes of computer-readable storage media.

It also is to be appreciated that the described embodiments illustrateexemplary implementations, and that the functional components and/ormodules may be implemented in various other ways which are consistentwith the described embodiments. Furthermore, the operations performed bysuch components or modules may be combined and/or separated for a givenimplementation and may be performed by a greater number or fewer numberof components or modules.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it may be appreciated that termssuch as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” or thelike, refer to the action and/or processes of a computer or computingsystem, or similar electronic computing device, that manipulates and/ortransforms data represented as physical quantities (e.g., electronic)within registers and/or memories into other data similarly representedas physical quantities within the memories, registers or other suchinformation storage, transmission or display devices.

It is worthy to note that some embodiments may be described using theexpression “coupled” and “connected” along with their derivatives. Theseterms are not intended as synonyms for each other. For example, someembodiments may be described using the terms “connected” and/or“coupled” to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physicalor electrical contact with each other. The term “coupled,” however, mayalso mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with eachother, but yet still co-operate or interact with each other. Withrespect to software elements, for example, the term “coupled” may referto interfaces, message interfaces, API, exchanging messages, and soforth.

Various embodiments may be described in the general context ofcomputer-executable instructions, such as program modules, beingexecuted by a computer. Generally, program modules include any softwareelement arranged to perform particular operations or implementparticular abstract data types. Some embodiments may also be practicedin distributed computing environments where operations are performed byone or more remote processing devices that are linked through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote computer storage mediaincluding memory storage devices.

While certain features of the embodiments have been illustrated asdescribed above, many modifications, substitutions, changes andequivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is thereforeto be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications and changes as fall within the scope of the embodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a mobile computingdevice to support cellular voice communication, wireless datacommunication and computing capabilities, the mobile computing deviceincluding an applications processor coupled to a radio processor, and alocation system to identify and provide a geographic location for themobile computing device, the applications processor to include a radiomanagement module to manage operations for the radio processor, theradio management module having a radio schedule application and a radiocontrol module, the radio control module arranged to enable and disablethe radio processor in accordance with a radio control schedule, theradio control schedule to include a schedule event parameter to define apower mode for the radio processor when disabled, the power mode chosenfrom a first power mode or a second power mode, wherein the first powermode includes a first sub-set of features of the radio processor beingdisabled to achieve a first power draw and the second power modeincludes a second sub-set of features of the radio processor beingdisabled to achieve a second power draw, the radio control schedule tofurther include a schedule location parameter to define a location toactivate the radio control schedule; the radio processor to execute thecommunication functions of the mobile computing device; and the locationsystem to provide the geographic location to the radio scheduleapplication, the radio schedule application to compare the geographiclocation to a list of schedule location parameters, and when thegeographic location matches the schedule location parameter the radiocontrol module to use the radio control schedule corresponding to thematched schedule location parameter.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, theradio scheduling application to receive operator instructions to definethe radio control schedule, and generate the radio control schedule inaccordance with operator instructions.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, theradio management module to include a radio timer set to a defined timeinterval in accordance with the radio control schedule, the radio timerto notify the radio control module when the defined time interval hasexpired.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, the radio control module to send adisable radio control command to the applications processor, theapplications processor to send a disable radio control signal to theradio processor to disable the radio processor.
 5. The apparatus ofclaim 1, the radio control module to send an enable radio controlcommand to the applications processor, the applications processor tosend an enable radio control signal to the radio processor to enable theradio processor.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, the mobile computingdevice comprising a global positioning system to identify the geographiclocation for the mobile computing device, the radio management module togenerate a prompt for an operator to manually enable or disable theradio processor based on the location.
 7. A method comprising: setting aradio timer for a schedule start time based on a schedule startparameter from a radio control schedule, the radio control schedule toinclude a schedule event parameter to define a power mode for the radioprocessor when disabled, the power mode chosen from a first power modeor a second power mode, wherein the first power mode includes a firstsub-set of features of the radio processor being disabled to achieve afirst power draw and the second power mode includes a second sub-set offeatures of the radio processor being disabled to achieve a second powerdraw, the radio control schedule to further include a schedule locationparameter to define a location to activate the radio control schedule;receiving notification that the radio timer is at the schedule starttime; sending a disable radio control command to disable a radioprocessor for a mobile computing device, the radio processor executingcellular voice communication and wireless data communication functionsfor the mobile communication device, the disable radio command to reducepower consumption of a battery; receiving location information for themobile computing device; comparing the location information with a listof schedule location parameters; and activating the radio controlschedule when the location information matches the schedule locationparameter.
 8. The method of claim 7, comprising: receiving the disableradio control command by an applications processor; and sending adisable radio control signal from the applications processor to theradio processor.
 9. The method of claim 7, comprising: setting the radiotimer for a schedule end time based on a schedule end parameter from theradio control schedule; receiving notification that the radio timer isat the schedule end time; and sending an enable radio control command toenable the radio processor.
 10. The method of claim 9, comprising:receiving the enable radio control command by an applications processor;and sending an enable radio control signal from the applicationsprocessor to the radio processor.
 11. The method of claim 7, comprising:generating a graphics user interface view with radio controlpreferences; receiving selections for radio control preferences; andstoring the radio control preferences in the radio control schedule. 12.A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprisinginstructions that when executed enable a computing system to: set aradio timer for a schedule start time based on a schedule startparameter from a radio control schedule, the radio control schedule toinclude a schedule event parameter to define a power mode for the radioprocessor when disabled, the power mode chosen from a first power modeor a second power mode, wherein the first power mode includes a firstsub-set of features of the radio processor being disabled to achieve afirst power draw and the second power mode includes a second sub-set offeatures of the radio processor being disabled to achieve a second powerdraw, the radio control schedule to further include a schedule locationparameter to define a location to activate the radio control schedule;receive notification that the radio timer is at the schedule start time;send a disable radio control command to disable a radio processor for amobile computing device, the radio processor executing cellular voicecommunication and wireless data communication functions for the mobilecommunication device, the disable radio command to reduce powerconsumption of a battery; receive geographic location information forthe mobile computing device; compare the geographic location informationwith a list of schedule location parameters; and activate the radiocontrol schedule when the geographic location information matches theschedule location parameter.
 13. The non-transitory storage medium ofclaim 12, further comprising instructions that if executed enable acomputing system to: receive the disable radio control command by anapplications processor; and send a disable radio control signal from theapplications processor to the radio processor.
 14. The non-transitorystorage medium of claim 12, further comprising instructions that ifexecuted enable a computing system to: set the radio timer for aschedule end time based on a schedule end parameter from the radiocontrol schedule; receive notification that the radio timer is at theschedule end time; and send an enable radio control command to enablethe radio processor.
 15. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 14,further comprising instructions that if executed enable a computingsystem to: receive the enable radio control command by an applicationsprocessor; and send an enable radio control signal from the applicationsprocessor to the radio processor.